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Gospel of Mark

Insults, Laughter and Tears at the Foot of the Cross: Mark 15:21-32

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21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Mark 15:21-32

Horsham: 8th January 2026

People came to watch Jesus die.  Lots of people. Some stood and watched.  Some threw insults. Some laughed. Some wept. Some just passed by.

Golgotha is a dreadful place. This is not the first set of executions to take place here. The earth is discoloured with the blood and gore of many crucifixions. The stench is overwhelming. The stench of death. The kind of place where the birds don’t sing. To this place they come.

The Jokers
There are those who deliberately passed this way. They have gone out of their way to pass through a place they would normally take pains to avoid. They know who is being crucified. They have come to shout insults. Their insults are for the one whose cross carries the name ‘Jesus of Nazareth. King of the Jews.’ 

‘So, You who are going to destroy the Temple and re-build it in three days, come down off the cross and save yourself!’ There is laughter. They are here to throw insults at Jesus.

They are the jokers, who laughed at the foot of the cross of Christ.

The Chief Priests and Teachers
If you are looking for a Chief Priest or a teacher of the Law, Golgotha is not the place you would normally go. This is a place of filth. This place is unclean. Yet these men have come to make sure that the deed is seen through to the end. They are furious about the sign. They are the leaders of the Jews. This is not their King. 

They send word to demand that Pilate removes these words from the cross. An hour earlier, Pilate had wanted to release this Jesus, but they had insisted he be crucified. Against his instincts he allowed it to happen. He is in no mood to accept their petitions now. ‘What I have written, I have written.’

They hear the laughter of the jokers. They are inspired to join in with their own humour. ‘He saved others but he cannot save himself!’ More laughter. ‘He trusts God. Let God save Him!’ Hilarious. ‘Come down from the cross that we may see and believe.’ That’s not going to happen. That is not God’s plan.

They bring their own insults and throw them at Jesus. They are here to make sure that sentence is passed.

They are the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law who believed that they experienced some kind of justice at the foot of the cross of Christ.

Thieves and Robbers
Two men accused of crimes. Maybe they were co-conspirators with Barabbas. They are in agony. They too have been beaten and paraded through the streets. They too are nailed to their own crosses. Dislocated shoulders. They are struggling for every breath. They are frightened – terrified. Tough, brutal men, reduced to this. In their desperation, they too heaped insults on Jesus (Matthew 27:44). But there was that moment when for one of them, the insults stopped. ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ I wonder whether he heard the response of Jesus ‘today, you will be with me in paradise.’ (Luke 23:43).

They are there to die. (He is numbered amongst the transgressors),

These are the thieves and robbers who suffered and died alongside the cross of Christ.

The Centurion
There was a centurion. Standing back. Watching. He’s seen it all before. He knows very little of these three condemned men, and cares less. His role is to make sure that the sentence is passed. To see that these men die on the cross. He is watching everyone as they come and go. Watching the reaction to that sign. Watching and listening. Listening as people threw their insults, laughed and wept as Jesus was dying on the cross.

He is there to ensure that Roman justice is delivered.

He is the Centurion, who watched, listened and waited at foot of the cross of Christ.

The Soldiers
Each prisoner had been guarded by a team of four soldiers on the road to Golgotha. For now, their job is done.  They are entitled to the condemned man’s clothes. Jesus has a good undergarment. Soldiers are soldiers. They see an opportunity to have some fun. Out come their gambling stones and they cast lots for the garment. They care nothing for the dying man. 

They are oblivious of the fact that their little game was predicted hundreds of years earlier. Oblivious to the role they have just played in history (Matthew 27:35; John 19:23-24, Psalm 22:18).

These are the soldiers of Rome who drew lots at the foot of the cross of Christ.  

The Disciples
The disciples had sworn to stand with Jesus whatever happened.  Last night, less than 12 hours earlier, they ran for cover as Jesus was arrested. Where were they now? 

At least one of them was there, possibly more. There had been that extraordinary moment when Jesus asks John to look after his mother. In obedience to Christ, John takes Mary into his household. (John 19:27). Were there others, hiding in plain sight, mixing with the crowd? 

These are the Disciples, who tried to make themselves invisible at the foot of the cross of Christ.

The Women
This was no place for women, yet they always came when it was their man on the cross. Mary, mother of Jesus, helpless, in utter despair, watching her son die. Mary Magdalene was there. And another Mary, the wife of Clopas (John 19:25). There were probably others too, to stand with the mother of Jesus and to comfort each other (Matthew 27:55-56).

They are overwhelmed with grief and helplessness. Forced to listen to the ultimate insults being thrown at Jesus.

These are the women who loved Jesus and wept at the foot of the cross of Christ.

End Piece

Of course, there were others, hundreds – even thousands – in Jerusalem who knew that something horrific was taking place at Golgotha and deliberately stayed away. They didn’t want to take the risk of being anywhere nearby. After all, they were in Jerusalem to worship God. Better, they thought, to ignore it. Carry on as if nothing was happening.

Challenge yourself. Something ghastly and completely unjustified is going on. You don’t need to look far in this world to find an example. 

Where do you stand in the crowd? 

Insults. Laughter. Tears. Maybe it’s best to simply look the other way.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex

Gospel of Mark

Watch out for the Teachers of the Law: Mark 12:38-40

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38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Mark 12:38-40

Horsham: 23rd June 2025

In Mark’s Gospel, this teaching appears as part of the Holy Week narrative, when Jesus is spending most of his time in the Temple courts. The Teachers of the Law, sometimes referred to as scribes,  have been at the spearhead of attempts to catch Jesus out in his words, looking for an opportunity to turn the crowd against Jesus and arrest him on a charge of blasphemy.

The problem for the Jewish leaders was that many people in the crowd filling the Temple loved Jesus. They were amazed by his teaching. Jesus has already confronted the Teachers of the Law for their poor leadership and their inadequate understanding of the application of the Law. These Scribes were powerful men in Israel. To the delight of many in the crowd, they were very publicly humiliated.

Now, left alone with this attentive crowd, Jesus turns to those around him and attacks the Scribes. It’s a serious warning. There’s something very wrong here. You really need to watch out for these people. They love to flaunt their position of leadership. They love to be noticed in the market place. They love to take the best seats in the synagogue (ordinary worshippers would sit on the floor!).  They pray the longest prayers. Their faith, which should come from a genuine heart, has become a show. It’s performative. This is religious showmanship.  Jesus is condemning the religious elitism of the Jewish leaders.

But it gets worse. These people are coercing others, including people who live in poverty, to support and sustain their lavish lifestyle. They readily accept expensive gifts from people who have little. Some are even demanding gifts of properties from widows. Make no mistake – there are victims here.

Jesus says beware those who place themselves on a pedestal, especially in matters of faith. Beware of those who act as if they have a monopoly on the truth and themselves speak with absolute authority. These men are supposed to be the Leaders of Israel. They are supposed to be the ones the people can trust. Their arrogance, elistism and pride are breathtaking. ‘These men will be punished most severely.’ (v40)

End Piece

Religious people who put themselves on a pedestal. Who love to be treated as something special. Who expect the best seats. Religious people who abuse others in order to assert their authority, demanding donations to support their personal ministry, even from those who have little. None of that would happen today, surely.

This is a serious warning from Jesus, and it needs to be heard even in our own times. Religion, politics, celebrity and more. Pride is an ever present danger in every part of our culture. Pride is never a victimless crime. Where there is pride in leadership, there are victims.

This teaching seems all the more poignant, because until he is seen hanging on the cross, these are the last public words of Jesus. Until His resurrection, these are the last spoken lesson of the greatest teacher of all time.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 3: Clearing the Temple Mark 11:15-18

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15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

Mark 11: 15-18

17th March 2025: Horsham

(Published on the Crossblog on 30th April 2025)

Jesus has walked the three or four miles from Bethany to the city of Jerusalem. As he left the village, Jesus had effectively put a curse on an apparently healthy fig tree which had provided no fruit. By the time he and his disciples return later that day, the tree will be dead.

His destination is Jerusalem. The Temple. When he arrives, he is  frustrated by the commercial activities taking place in the Temple Courts. I want us to think about what was going on and why.

The Pilgrims: The time of the Passover festival is approaching. The population of Jerusalem is hugely swollen by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Some have come from the towns and villages around Jerusalem, but many have travelled long distances from around Israel and beyond. For all of them, their destination is the Temple.

Their pilgrimage is spiritual. It’s about spiritual celebration and service. They are there to worship God. That means sacrifice, offering and prayer. For sacrifice they need animals and they must be in peak condition. They need money to pay the temple tax and make offerings. These things can only be sorted at the Temple. In the outer court – the Court of the Gentiles – money can be changed and animals purchased. When Jesus arrives, this Court is full of noise and bustle, focused around the market – the money changers and the animal traders.

There is little space for quiet. Little space for prayer. The traders and the Temple authorities are making money from the market activities. ‘The Court of the Gentiles should have been a place of praying, but it was instead a place for preying and paying.’ (Wiersbe, p.136)

The Traders: Every animal presented for sacrifice has to be in perfect condition. If it is not up to standard, it will be rejected by the priests. Quite clearly, a sheep which has been driven through the wilderness and along dusty roads will not be in the best condition when it arrives at the Temple. Everyone knows that to pass the scrutiny of the priests, it was necessary to buy your animal in Jerusalem. For this purpose, the court of the gentiles, a large public area surrounding the temple itself, had developed into a livestock market, offering certified lambs, oxen and doves. Certfied as suitable for sacrifice. Of course, in the Temple market, the ‘captive audience’ creates the opportunity to inflate the cost of animals. In some cases, those who are poor can offer a dove in sacrifice in lieu of a lamb. There are records of the Chief Priests controlling the prices to minimise the risk of selling doves at extortionate prices to the poorest worshippers, but it does happen. For Jesus and his family this was nothing new. When Christ was born, Mary and Joseph offered two doves (Luke 2:22-24).

The Money Changers: Most of the worshippers are from Israel, so why the need for money changers? The answer is quite simple. The temple has its own currency. Pilgrims need to pay tax at the temple and the only money which was accepted was the Tyrian Shekel. These coins, originally minted in the city of Tyre, are now produced in Judea under license from the Romans. They can only be used within the Temple compound. One feature of the Tyrean shekel is that it had an unusually high silver content and so the value was consistent and clear to everyone. Exchange rates were set by the traders themselves and so there was profit to be made at the expense of pilgrims.

The Temple Authorities: The market is controlled by the Temple authorities, and one reason for high prices is that animal sellers and money changers are required to pay a fee to these authorities to get a license to sell. There is some  evidence that the Temple authorities deliberately inflated prices, but there is also evidence that at times they were instrumental in reducing the burden on pilgrims by driving prices down (for an example see the actions of Rabbi Ben Gamaliel to reduce the price of doves, recorded in the Mishnah, Kerithoth 1:7).

Jesus actions: You’ll know the story. Jesus has very strong views about what is going on. He starts turning over tables of money changers and dove sellers. ‘Is it not written that my temple shall be a house of prayer for all nations!’ (Isaiah 56:7) ‘But you have made it a den of robbers.’ (Jeremiah 7:11). Jesus is really saying, this is the Temple and God expects his people to be producing fruit. In reality, rather than encouraging worship and upholding the Law, the authorities were continuing a situation where space was given to lucrative commerce rather than prayer. Instead of facilitating heartfelt worship, the focus is on making money from it.

The Result: There were several reasons why Christ’s action would have upset the authorities. There was a momentary interruption to cash flow. There is a need to keep control – to be seen to respond to this outrageous behaviour of a Rabbi. A riot in the temple courts will attract the attention, even the intervention of the Romans.  Perhaps worst of all, the people were excited, and attracted to Jesus. Many of them were there when he entered the city, riding a donkey. Many of them had heard that this was the Messiah, and they want it to be true. In this moment, he is clearly, and very publicly, attacking the authorities.  They are, after all, the overseers of the whole thing. So many reasons for the Jewish leaders to want to be rid of him.

End Piece: This was not the first time Jesus had visited the temple. The practices of the market place in the Temple had developed over many generations. It’s easy for us to be critical of the situation that provoked Jesus to take action, but to everyone involved, including the pilgrims, that was just the way things had always worked. The vast majority of people didn’t even notice that they were doing anything wrong, and maybe that’s what really annoyed Jesus.

The real message here is that Israel is not fulfilling it’s purpose before God. The healthy looking fig tree is failing to produce even those small immature fruit which might have been available at this time of year. The fig tree is symbolic of Israel. Like the fig tree, Israel itself is at risk of finding itself deeply out of favour with God.

From time to time we wonder how Jesus would react if he walked into our Church. Maybe, rather than condemning the money changers, animal traders and temple authorities, it might be more fruitful to reflect on what is going on in our own Churches and our own way of life.  If Jesus walked into your world right now, what might attract his attention? (Matthew 7:3-5)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK